Process of making mercury salves and ointments.



citizen of the E -ceutical preparations which contain metallic 1n theform of an organic compound and in curous formate, mercurous acetate,mercur- Empire of Germany,

white lea FRANZ FUHRMAN N, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICANCOMMERCIAL COMPANY,

OF BERLIN, GERMANY, A FIRM.

PROCESS OF MAKING MERCURY- SALVES AND OINTMENTS.

Application filed An lia 31.

To all whom it mol'y concern: Be it known that I, FRANZ FUH'RMANN, agiirle of Germany, residing 'ngdom of Prussia "and have invented'certainnew and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Mercury Salves andOintments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of making salves and ointmentscontaining mercury in a state of finest subdivision. It has been shownby re eated clinical tests that the therapeutic va ue of pharmainBerlin, in the mercury (such as Ung. Hydrargyri cinereum, etc.) dependson the finest possible subdivision of the metal in the same. The processheretofore used for making these preparations was a purely mechanicalone, inasmuch as the metallic 'mercury was slowly ground and mixed withthe roper fat or oil, eventually by the use 0 s ecial grindinmachines-{Until the desire fine distribution of is obtained. Thecarrying out of this opera tionrequired considerable time and labor.The'object ofthe resent invention is to means. In principle, the processconsists in adding the mercury to the omtment-base litting off themetallic mercury either by emical means or by causing aself-decomposition of said mercury compounds within the mixture. For thepurpose referred to, such mercury compounds are s ecially fit whichdecompose themselves wit 'n a short period of time, thereby producingmetallic mercury. Among these compounds is a series of organic mercurycompounds, such as merous oxalate, etc., and articularly the mercurousformate is best a apted for that purpose. This com ound forms, in itsure state, ets which assume quickly, even at ordinary tem erature, agrayish color and which are ecomposed into mercury, carbon dioxid andformic acid, according to the following formula:

' rr,;,rr,,c,o, s 2rr 00 011,0 I When this process is allowed to takeplace in a fatty substance by mixing the mercurous formate withVaseline, lanolin or a similar substance, and permittlng this mlxture tostand Specification of Letters rar st.

.Example I., with finely pow Patented Nov. 19, 1907. 1906. ,Se rialNo.276.619-

for 'a' few days, the mercury is graduallyfreed-in the fatty substanceand distributed in such a minute state as could 'never'be obtained bymechanical means. i As carbon dioxid is'generated, the fatty massassumes a foamy condition, and is changed simultaneously to a gray colorby the finely-distributedmercury. The formic acid, which is contained inthe mass, is converted into the non-injurious sodium formate by theaddition of sodium carbonate.

This rocess can be considerably accelerated by eating the mass andcompleting the reaction in a short time, after which the salve thusobtained has to be'again mixed until it is in a perfectly homogeneouscondition. In this manner the production of the well-known gray mercurysalve can be effected in a short time and without expensive machinery,while at thesame time the product contains the mercury in'the finestpossible state of subdivision.

The followingexamples are intended to illustrate the processes aspractically carried out:

Exam 1e I: (For salves). 5kg. of freshly repare and finely pulverizedmercurous ormate are mixed with 5 kg. of any salve suitable as afoundation, after which a solution of 250 gr. of dry sodium carbonateand 750 gr. water is mixed with the mass while stirring. It ispreferable to use as a foundation such salves which easily mixthemselves with water, such as lanolin, resorbin, etc. The whole mass isthen heated in a suitable vessel in the water-bath'while continuouslystirring, until the foaming which is due to the development of carbondioxid ceases, care being taken that the mixture does not become too liuid. The mixture is then quickly cooled and the salve a ain carefullymixed until it is in a perfectly condition.

Example II: (For oils). Mercurous formate is mixed in the same proortions as in dered sodium carbonate and then slowly stirred into asmall quantity of white Vaseline and liquid parafiin to form aconsistent salve. The mass is then heated in the water-bath until thedevelopment of carbon dioxid ceases, after which the mass isquickly'cooled and mixed with the quantity of paraflin or similar oilnecessary to a homogeneous emulsion. The decomposition of the mercurycom- TIOIIlOgGl'lGOlIS KIRCHHOFF & NEIRATH BERLIN pounds in order tosplit off metallic mercury,

can also be effected by adding a reducing mixed with 4 kg. of foundationointment.

The whole mass is then carefully heated, until it gets a viscousconsistence. After this 1 kg. of pure formic acid is successively addedwhile continuously stirring and heating the mixture until thedevelopment of carbon dioxid ceases and the mass assumes an even grayishcolor. After cooling the mass is again thoroughly stirred. An excess offormic acid should evidently be avoided. In place of formic acid otheragents may be added, for instance: a Weak'ammoniacal solution offormaldehyde, or a solution of peroxid of hydrogen, or of hydrazin, orhy- (lroxylamin, etc.

This process has the additional advantagethat the presence of othermetals is entirely excluded, for the reason that the mercurous compoundscan be obtained in a perfectly pure state, while the metallic mercuryheretofore used in the production of mercury salves often contains smallquantities of other 7 compound with an ointment-base and a carbonate andthen s litting OR the metallic mercury by heating't e mixture so as todis'-' tribute the liberated metallic .Tmercury in a minute statethroughout the ointment-base.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANZ FUI-IRMANN.

Witnesses HENRY. HAsPER, WOLDEMAR HAU'PT

